Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic support program that targets historically
difficult courses. SI is a non-remedial approach to learning enrichment that increases
student performance and retention. SI offers regularly scheduled, out-of-class review
sessions to all students enrolled in a targeted course. SI study sessions are informal
seminars in which students review notes, discuss readings, develop organizational
tools, and prepare for examinations. Students learn how to integrate course content
with reasoning and study skills. The SI sessions are facilitated by “SI leaders,”
students who have previously and successfully completed the targeted course. SI leaders
attend all class lectures, take notes, and act as model students for their classmates.
SI was developed by Deanna C. Martin, Ph.D. at the University of Missouri - Kansas
City in 1973.

SI leaders do not lecture, rather they direct collaborative learning exercises that
encourage the students to take responsibility for processing the course material.

Participation in the SI program is voluntary and open to all students in the course.

Assistance begins during the first week of the term before students encounter academic
difficulties.

The SI leader attends all lectures for the targeted course.

The SI leader is trained in specific teaching/learning theory and techniques.

The SI program is supervised by a trained professional staff member.

The program is offered only in classes in which there is support from the faculty
member.

SI Tutors

SI tutors serve as the peer facilitators for SI sessions. They present an appropriate
model of critical thinking, organization, and mastery of the discipline. All SI tutors
attend an intensive training session before the beginning of the academic term. This
training addresses issues about how students learn and presents instructional strategies
aimed at strengthening student academic performance. SI tutors attend class sessions,
take notes, read all assigned material, and conduct regularly scheduled review sessions
each week.

SI Supervisor

The SI supervisor, an on-site professional, implements the SI program and supervises
the SI leaders. This person is responsible for identifying the targeted courses, gaining
faculty support, selecting and training SI leaders, monitoring the quality of the
SI sessions, evaluating the program, and reporting results to campus administrators.

SI Students

SI students earn higher course grades and withdraw less often than non-SI participants.
Also, data demonstrate higher reenrollment and graduation rates. Faculty and staff
from over 900 institutions in the U.S. and twelve other countries have been trained
to implement SI.

SI Sessions

SI sessions integrate how-to-learn with what-to-learn. Students who attend the SI
sessions develop study strategies for note taking, graphic organization, questioning
techniques, vocabulary acquisition, and test preparation as they review course material.
Students have the opportunity to become actively involved with their classmates as
they process the text, supplementary readings, and lecture notes. SI uses the course
content as a vehicle for developing learning skills. SI sessions normally occur in
or near the course classroom instead of in a learning center. Students attend SI sessions
on a voluntary basis and no effort is made to segregate students based upon academic
ability. Since SI is introduced on the first day of classes and is open to all students
in the class, SI is not viewed as remedial.